THE EARTH BELOW (THEEARTHBELOW.COM) - ELEC TRONIC PRESS KIT

M OT H TO F L AM E P R E S E N TS

THE EARTH BELOWRunning time ..............................................................15:56 min

Genre ...........................................................................Drama

Rating ...........................................................................G: General Audience

Year ...............................................................................2016

Language ....................................................................English

Country of Origin ......................................................United States

Format .........................................................................4096X2160, 24fps, 2.39:1, Sound Stereo

Virtual Press Office ....................................................www.theearthbelow.com

Links .............................................................................Official website: www.theearthbelow.com

Official Facebook: www.facebook.com/theearthbelowfilm

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6251702/?ref_=nm_flmg_prd_3

Twitter: www.twitter.com/mothtoflame

Hashtag: #theearthbelow

THE EARTH BELOW (THEEARTHBELOW.COM) - ELEC TRONIC PRESS KIT

SYNOPSISP19256, a young woman in a futuristic world that has eliminated men from its gene pool,

struggles with her duty to become pregnant for her people. One evening, a fateful decision

must be made: whether she will remain with the life she knows or escape with a mysterious lost

traveler to unlock a future she dreams of.

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THE EARTH BELOW (THEEARTHBELOW.COM) - ELEC TRONIC PRESS KIT

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT“The Earth Below” for me is a combination of my admiration for Puccini’s opera “Madam Butterfly”

and the themes of Alienation, Woman Power, and Unrequited Love.

Ever since I watched the opera “Madame Butterfly,” I have been fascinated with the balance and

influence of East meets West. This stems from my upbringing as an Asian American, which often

times consisted of finding equilibrium between these two very different cultures. Growing up,

I often felt “stuck in the middle,” never fully identifying with either my family’s cultural ideals

or those of my Western friends. For me, “The Earth Below” explores some of these emotional

struggles as an Asian American – not feeling like I belonged, wanting what I was told I should not

want, and being constantly alienated within my own family and amongst my friends.

The story of Madame Butterfly also touches upon the strength of being a woman in a misogynistic

environment. Though we are lucky in the U.S. to have progressed in the treatment of women,

much of the world still does not see women as equals to men. In the original story, Butterfly’s

handles her fate weakly and is limited by her cultural circumstances—I wanted to explore a

different perspective. In “The Earth Below”, Butterfly’s strength grows as she recognizes and

embraces her own self-value and independence.

Finally, I wanted to explore the question: “Can you love more than one person at a time?” Society

puts pressure on monogamous relationships and it is interesting to challenge these societal norms

and put the characters through the ebb and flow of passion, developing relationships, forbidden

and unrequited love.

It has been an amazing opportunity collaborating with my long-time friend and writer, Eric

Hwang. When I pitched the story to him and to the rest of the crew on a challenge to develop

our first science fiction drama, the support has been incredible. Together we have been able to

put together a tiny glimpse into this story that we hope to eventually develop into a full-length

feature.

-Christine W. Chen

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THE EARTH BELOW (THEEARTHBELOW.COM) - ELEC TRONIC PRESS KIT

WRITER’S STATEMENTThe initial story concept for “The Earth Below” was pitched to me as an adaptation of Madame

Butterfly that takes place in a dystopian world where men no longer exist. I was excited by the

project because of the opportunities it presented—it was a chance for me to write a female

lead character and create a story in a science-fictional world. The challenge was tying it to an

Asian-American theme.

I was primarily determined to stray away from Puccini’s portrayal of a weak and submissive

Butterfly and make her a more complex character with agency. In the process of unearthing

her personality and her relationship to Luther (the analog to Puccini’s Pinkerton), I found that

the story lent itself so organically to one of the most challenging and fundamental Asian-

American experiences: the reconciliation of a dual identity.

Butterfly’s plight of having to decide between staying on her own planet and escaping with

Luther is a direct parallel to a struggle that many Asian-Americans face: whether to adhere to

the expectations of parents and ancestors or to pursue individual desires. The film echoes this

existential crisis—one that is not easily explained to outsiders and one that does not have a

clear resolution.

The relationship between Butterfly and Luther is maddening—their attraction for each other is

undeniable, but both are held back by their confusion and obligations. Pitting these clashing

and sometimes contradictory emotions into an urgent circumstance allowed the characters to

give in to the reckless part of themselves—despite the heartbreaking consequences they both

know will follow.

I have always adored complicated love stories, strong female characters and science fictional

worlds—it was a privilege to be able to blend these elements with “The Earth Below”.

- Eric Hwang

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CAST

ELIZABETH TRIEU

as P19256 (Butterfly)

Elizabeth Trieu is a native TexAsian, an

adventurer and activist of good vibes. She

recently debuted in “#Slaughterhouse,” a

witty slasher, as her role as Lisa. She has

lived in Los Angeles, New York, and Austin,

and looks forward to the release of “The

Earth Below” and a couple of other shorts

that are in post. In addition, she is starting

production on her own piece, “An Affair For

The Birds” at the beginning of 2017.

COREY LANDISas Luther

Corey Landis is an actor in Los Angeles.

He has appeared in 11 feature films and

nearly as many shorts, recurred on “That

‘70s Show” as Young Red Forman, and has

starred in over 100 commercials, most

frequently as the spokesman. Landis is a

singer-songwriter who just released an

album with legendary Beatles engineer

Geoff Emerick. He also co-directed the

feature-length documentary “Toy Masters”

about the He-Man franchise.

CAST - LONG

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CREW

CO-PRODUCER/DIRECTORChristine Chen

Christine Chen started filming at an early

age with her parent’s VHS camera. She soon

discovered it was more than a hobby when

she filmed her first documentary in Lijiang,

China during undergrad for Rice University.

Christine later started her production

company Moth to Flame, while obtaining

her MBA at the University of Texas

McCombs School of Business.

Her feature film, Funemployment” will be

coming out in 2017 and her short films, “A

Bird’s Nest,” “Two Roads”, and “Ya Albi” can

all be seen on ShortsHD.

CO-PRODUCER/WRITEREric Hwang

Eric Hwang is an independent film

producer and screenwriter from Colorado.

An avid cinephile and filmmaker since high

school, he hopes his stories, like “The Earth

Below”, will bring more exposure to Asian-

Americans and their unique experiences

into mainstream media. He currently

resides in Los Angeles, CA.

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHYTaylor Camarot

Taylor Camarot is a cinematographer based

out of Austin TX, specializing in dramatic

narrative work. His visual approach pushes

what would be unconventional to the scifi

genre, forgoing traditional tropes and

focusing on being honest to the story.

Through his process, he highlights the

capacity and beauty of human emotion.

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CREDITS

CREDITS - SHORT

C R E W

Director ........................................................................... Christine Chen

Writer ............................................................................... Eric Hwang

Producers ........................................................................ Christine Chen and Eric Hwang

1st Assistant Director .................................................... Mattias Alegro Marasigan

Director of Photography ............................................... Taylor Camarot

1st Assistant Camera ..................................................... Jesse Vielleux

2nd Assistant Camera .................................................... Ali Nidzgorski

2nd Assistant Camera .................................................... Stephen Laughrun

Gaffer ............................................................................... Charlie Pearce

Editor ............................................................................... Christine Chen

Art Director ..................................................................... Kellie Penna

Original Music ................................................................ Nick Longoria

Sound Design & ADR ..................................................... Kirby Meador

Sound Recordist ............................................................. Jason Cates

Makeup Artist ................................................................. Roxy McDanel

Hair Stylist ....................................................................... Gloria Tsai

Hair Stylist ....................................................................... Antonio Palacios

Props and Costumes ...................................................... Kellie Penna

DIT .................................................................................... John Bechinina

Colorist ............................................................................ Taylor Camarot

Production Assistant ..................................................... Autumn Hope

Production Assistant ..................................................... Jon Grandstaff

Production Assistant ..................................................... Albert Rondan

Production Assistant ..................................................... Taylor Fontana

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C A S T

Elizabeth Trieu ................. P19256

Corey Landis .................... Luther

Teresa Tullos .................... AI Voice

Gloria Tsai ......................... The Matriarch